Gay protest planned for opening of Eucharistic Congress in Dublin

A gay rights group is protesting their lack of civil rights at the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, which starts today.

The group, LGBT Noise, wants the Church to stay out the same-sex marriage debate.

“Church leaders lobby governments to prevent LGBT people’s civil rights. Among the issues Noise campaigns on is civil marriage equality, which is a civil right not a religious rite. If Catholic leaders want nothing to do with same-sex marriage, they don’t have to have one, ” claims the group on its website.

The group says that the Catholic Church’s "detailed and shameful" history of opposing Gays is behind their protest.

“Countless church authorities defame and offend LGBT people on a regular basis,” LGBT noise said in a statement on its Facebook page

The Congress is being held in Ireland for the first time in 80 years. LGBT Noise will protest at the RDS when the Papal League’s Cardinal Marc Ouellet opens the congress, which runs until Friday.

According to TheJournal.ie, 25,000 people are expected to attend the events every day, with up to 80,000 people anticipated for the closing ceremony in Croke Park.